Cable railway



' (No Model.)

W. M. LEVERING.

I CABLE RAILWAY.

atented Apr. 14, 1885.

wirzass'eip Jzza 21 UNITE STATES.

PATENT @rrrca.

\VILLIAM M. LEVERING, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CALB LE RAlLWAY.

QPBCIIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,800, dated April 14, 1885.

Application filed February 3, 185 5. (110 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I WILLIAM M. LEVERING, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a a new and valuable Improvement in Cable Railways; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of thesar'ne, reference being had to the annexed drawings, mak ing a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention has relation to tubeways for cable-motor or other analogous railways; and it has for its objects to provide a frame for the conduit sufficiently strong and inflexible to prevent the slot closing at the points where the frames are attached to the slot-irons; to give the slot-irons sufficient strength between the points of support to carry any load that is liable to come upon them, and to resist the lateral pressure against them; to strongly connect the frame-work of the conduit with the rails or rail-stringers, so that said frame-work will be incapable of movement either horizontally or vertically independently of said rails to alter the distance between the slotirons,if they should accidentally close together from any cause.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section of the permanent way. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through one of the frames. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the metallic portion of the same. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 show details of the various parts.

A A are solid rolled transverse ribs, bars, or sections, preferably old T-rails or deck or I beams bent in the form shown in Fig. 1, and forming a frame for the support of the slot irons B B, such ribs or sections beingplaced at suitable intervals apart along the length of the roadway. The slot-irons B B are adapted to the form of the bent ribs A, the upper flanges of which slot-irons may rest on the upper ends of the bent rails A, to which said slot-irons are securely bolted or riveted.

The slot-irons B B consist of a rolled sec tion having the form of an I-beam with half a lower flange, the webs of the same having a curved section adapted to fit the form of the bent ribs A.

C and G are brackets attached to the ribs A by rivets or bolts, and at their outer eX tremities supporting the rail-stringers or rails, which may be attached to them by bolts or other suitable connections. The brackets O and C may be of cast or wrought metal of any suitable form, preferably of wrought-metal flanges, and may be secured to the rail stringers or to any suitable form of rail directly. The ribs A,placed at proper intervals, are connected together by bent plates of sheet metal D, riveted or bolted to the interior flange of ribs A, and forming the sides of the conduit, and the whole is supported and surrounded by the mass of concrete E,of any suitable form. The sheetiron D may be either riveted to the slotirons B B or be simply bent over and rest against their lower flanges.

At suitable intervals in the conduit ajackscrew, F, may be inserted between the two sides of the frame, a rib, or section A, which screw has a head, G, and nut H, said head G having an extension or pin, I, (see Fig. 7,) passing through ihe'gib K, and bearing against one side of a rib-frame, A. The gib K and nut H may be notched slightly into the said ribs A, to keep them in position and prevent their turning with the nut. The bent plate L, slipped down between the head G and gib K, serves to keep the screw F from turning, the notch in it fitting over the head G.

At proper intervals along the tube certain of the screws F are made to serve as axles for the cable-supporting pulleys M, which carry the moving cable, said pulleys M being mounted on the smooth cylindrical portion of the jack-screws and kept in place by the collars N. Should any of the ribs or sections A become bent and their upper ends approach each other, tending to close the grip-slot, the jack-screw F may be tightened,first removing the bent plate L, so as to allow the head G to be turned, and when the slot is sufficiently opened the plate L is driven down again over the head G, looking it and preventing the screw F turning from the friction of the cable or any accidental cause. A sufficient space is allowed between the head G and gib Kjto allow the easy entrance of the bent plate L.

It is obvious that the same result may be ohtained bymaking the head G stationary and turning the nut H, if desired.

I do not limit myself to any particular form of frame in combination with the jack-screw F, but may apply it to any suitable form of tube, and may use any suitable form of jackscrew for the purpose.

I am aware that it has been proposed to use bent angle-iron ribs or sections extending to or nearly to the upper outwardly-projecting flange of an angle-iron bar forming the slotiron of a cable-railway conduit, and I do not claim, broadly, the support of an outwardlyturned flange of a slot-iron by its supportingframe.

I am also aware that it has been proposed to construct a cable-railway conduit of a cast frame and wooden sides, said cast frame being connected to the tram-rail stringers by an angle-iron and knee-brace. Such is not my invention. Also, that cast-iron brackets have been proposed connecting the slot-iron directly to the tram-rail stringers, and I do not claim such bracket.

What I claim is 1. Ribs or section A Afor the conduit of a cable road, composed of a rolled rail, deck or I beams bent substantially in the form shown, and extending nearly to the surface of the roadway, to the inner flange of which the slot-irons are riveted or bolted,and on the ends of which the slot-irons may rest, in combination with brackets formed of a single plate of rolled iron bent and united or bolted to the frame A A, and extending to and supporting the rails or rail-stringers, substantially as de scribed.

2. A bracket for connecting the conduit of a cable railway to the tram-rails or railstringers, consisting of a single plate of wrought or rolled metal of nearly uniform thickness secured to the main frame of said conduit by bolting or riveting, and having suitable supports for the tram-rail or railstringer riveted or bolted thereto, substantially as shown.

3. A permanent way for cable railways, consisting of a rolled rail, deck or I beam, A, bent in the form substantially as shown, forming a frame, in combination withthe slotirons B B, plate D, riveted to the interior of said frame, brackets O O, riveted or bolted to said frame and supporting the tram-rails or rail-stringers, and a continuous mass of concrete surrounding the same, substantially as shown and described.

4. In combinatiouwith a cable-motor or other slotted conduit, jack-screws I forming an integral part of the permanent construction, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a cable or other slotted conduit, the jack-screw F, forming a bearing or support for a cable-supporting pulley, and devices for keeping said jack-screw in position and preventing its rotation, substantially as shown and described.

6. A slot-iron for cable railways substantially of the form shown, having a general shape of an I-beani or T-beam with half a lower flange, with the flanges at an obtuse 7o angle with the web, said web being rolled in a curved form to fit the bend in the rail forming the frame.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

XVlLLIAM M. LEVERING.

Witnesses:

GEORGE W. SELTZER, llIATT CLIFTON. 

